Crisis
"Plans? Surely you jest." a voice spoke, coming from within the trees of the Forest of Menos. A man appeared in the branch over, an elder man with black hair, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. "Have you Seijin not yet learned your lesson?" the man said. Koga drew his blade once more, "Another Arrancar!" he snarled. "Though this one feels significantly weaker than the blue-haired one we fought back at Las Noches." Renge sighed, "It appears so. Listen up everyone! Don't attack unless attacked, and protect Seireitou at all costs." he ordered. The Arrancar smiled softly, "Well, Mister Spiky-head, aren't you the cautious one?" Jumping down from the branch, his smile remained as wide as before. "My name is Xerxes, and I figure you Shinigami are here for that girl." he assumed. "You might say that." muttered Renge. Koga felt his reiatsu tingling again, strengthening, pulsating. Something had been bothering him ever since they first contacted Takashi Sora. "Renge!" he said, "This guy won't give Haruko back with pleases and thank yous. We'll have to force him to get her back, I think we all knew that we would." he managed to say. Black began to creep into the whites of his eyes. "Crap, this is a bad time to get a headache." he thought, commenting on the pain it was causing him. Tōkaru, blade in hand, slowly walked up to the Arrancar, Xerxes. At the same time, he called out to Koga and Renge. "Renge... back me up. And Koga..." he began, his voice wavering, showing an obvious concern for Koga, as if he knew something about the boy's headache. Renge flashed behind Tōkaru and drew his blade, "Leave Koga there. He needs to help protect Seireitou from further harm." he told Tōkaru, before facing the Arrancar. He shook his head, "Renge... look again..." Tōkaru spoke, as he noticed Koga grabbing his head in immense pain. Renge looked back and his facial expression changed dramatically. Moments later he turned pale, "What was that?! His reiatsu is fluctuating. One second it's normal and the next it spikes tremendously!" he exclaimed. "Fine, I'll keep an eye on him. No use in having two unconscious people, now is there?" Tōkaru sighed, as he felt Koga's strange reiatsu fluctulation. He aimed his blade for Xerxes, and prepared to battle. But... a sudden burst of spiritual energy halted this desired plan. Arrival The very roof of the Forest of Menos was blown away by the arrival of Kento and Tenyo Tensei. "Looks like we arrived in time for the party." Kento mused, floating down beside Renge and Tōkaru. Tenyo looked over to Koga, "Koga! You alright down there?" he yelled. Koga barely managed to nod, "Y-ya, I'm fine. Just give me a sec." he mumbled. Tenyo hesitated, but went to his dad's side anyways, summoning his Quincy bow as he did. Kento drew his sword, "How about we give this Arrancar a toasting." Xerxes looked unamused, as he drew his own blade and held it near his blade, while it still pointed at them; his own chest facing away. "Level Two." he stated, as a large burst of spiritual energy erupted from his blade, targeting the Seijin group. Kento's next move brought on shock from the rest of the group, "Getsuga Tenshō..." he muttered. A fierce blast ripped through the oncoming reiatsu, leveling everything around Kento and his group of Shinigami. Tenyo then took action, firing an arrow at the roof of the Forest of Menos, causing a tremendous amount of sand to fall towards Xerxes. From below, Kento fired another Getsuga, setting the situation up for a double strike. "Level Three." he stated, as a larger blast of spiritual energy shot out, completely decimating Kento's attack, and even continued to slam into Kento. Kento emerged from the blast scuffed up with a scowl on his face. Tenyo also showed signs of frustration. Renge looked on observantly, "Judging from this guy's power, I'd say he's at least three notches below the Arrancar that I sensed at Las Noches. Even if he keeps uncapping his power like this, it's no good now that we have something to size him up to. Now I can focus my attention on Koga's wild power level." he thought, glancing down to see that Koga had made it to his knees and was sweating heavily. "What's happening to you, Koga?" Renge wondered. Xerxes gave a small smile following his grin, as he completely disappeared, reappearing in front of Kento, clashing blades with him. "I'm surprised. I figured you Seijin were mild-mannered, and calm. What happened?" he mocked, throwing a punch for Kento's face, but this was merely for distraction as Xerxes was attempting a Cero via his pinky, to Kento's surprise as it launched at close-range. Kento's mere spiritual pressure managed to push the Cero away, "My apologies. If I may critique you though, if you go about judging your opponents by what you figure, well then you may be without a head much quicker than you know it." Kento replied coldly, glaring at Xerxes. The Mental Trial: Seireitou's Tenenko The fighting outside created chaos in the surroundings, but all was dark and quiet within the mind of Seijin Master Seireitou. The foreign reiatsu created a spark within the darkness of the unconcious Seireitou, as he had entered inside his inner world. The skies were bathed in gold, by the bright sunshine; the clouds reflected these rays to grand effect. Seireitou stood at the steps of a large temple-like structure, that was not closed to the rest of the outside world. At the top was Sanagi, retaining his ever-so similar appearance to his host. "Well well... the King has returned." mocked Sanagi, as he revealed his hackneyed grin. Seireitou narrowed his eyes, as he slowly walked up the steps. "So Sanagi... I'm here, why?" he asked, out of pure curiosity. Sanagi had chuckled, keeping to his menacing grin. "Don't you remember? You'd almost killed that Arrancar and yo-" he had spoken, soon being interupted, "Me? I don't think so. You had stolen my body, and used some strange form to attack them." Seireitou accused. Without a second more, Seireitou had drawn his blade, aiming it for Sanagi. Chuckling softly, Sanagi held out his hand, signalling Seireitou to stop. "I'm not here for battle, King. After all, we all know what happens when you fight someone." he declared. Seireitou narrowed his eyes even more, having an almost slit-eye appearance as of now. "And what would you mean by that, Sanagi?" he asked. Sanagi turned away, and walked toward the center of the structure complex, Seireitou following behind. "You, from the moment you became a Shinkūmyō, had several repressed emotions and feelings. These soon formed the vast reserves that is my spiritual power. Once you lost Shiori, your sorrow and repressed emotions hit a breaking point. Once that Arrancar had mentioned your failure to protect Shiori, you hit the point where all my power rushed into you at once. Like a balloon that is overfilled with water; when it hits its max volume, and more is added, it bursts and all the water spills out." Sanagi explained. Seireitou scratched his head, trying to make sense of all the situations that had arisen lately. "So... in the end, why am I here? And... what is this place?" he asked. Sanagi looked over to him, as the inner spirit of Hanullim had also appeared, bringing a surprised facial expression to Seireitou. "Seireitou. This is called the Tenenko. It is a center within all spiritual beings that belongs solely to one person." Hanullim explained. "One person...? And who is that?" asked Seireitou. Immediately, a large white light shined in front of the three, as a man appeared in lieu of this light. The man had long white flowing hair, the same for his beard. He was carrying a staff, and could easily be described as elderly. "Wh-... Who are you?" asked Seireitou, obviously shocked by this man's arrivial. The man stared at Seireitou, with narrowed eyes. "I am what you call God... the All... the One... but you, my son, may call me Yurai." the man professed. Seireitou remained silent, overwhelmed by the appearance of the man called God. "Go-.. God?" he asked. The man chuckled softly, "My son, call me Yurai. The formalities are not needed." he reassured. Shaking his head, Seireitou regained his nominal composure. "Alright... Yurai. Tell me, why are you here?" he asked. "Well, I understand that you are feeling immense sorrow over the lost of your beloved. But you must understand. Things occur in life based on the way others act. People affect eachother, like multiple ripples in the water." explained the elder gentleman. Seireitou tilted his head downwards, remaining silent. "Shiori - beloved wife, mother, and friend - she was a fine woman, indeed. And lucky to have someone like you love her. I will not feed you lies, about crushing and destroying sorrow. Sorrow exists in all, and always will. But, one must overcome this sorrow and control it; convert it to become a weapon that can be used to protect all others." the man spoke, as Seireitou slowly raised his head. Hanullim and Sanagi had quietly watched the two, the former having his hands hid in his sleeves while the latter had his arms crossed in front of his chest. "That is all I wish to promote to you. However... there is someone else here who wishes to see you." the man spoke as he took a few steps back. From the spot where he had been, another white orb had appeared, which soon took a female form; the physical, spiritual, and mental state of the one called Shiori. Seireitou's eyes were frozen in shock, as Shiori drew a small smile within her lips. "Hello... Seireitou-kun." spoke Shiori. Without another word, Seireitou ran up, hugging Shiori tightly with no abandon. Shiori gently stroked his hair, Seireitou's eyes gently filled with tears. "Shi... Shiori-chan... I missed you so much...!" spoke Seireitou, as Shiori drew a bright warm smile. The next following seconds, Seireitou had let go, but only alittle, as Shiori tilted her head cutely to the side. At that moment, Seireitou lowered his head in regret and guilt. Shiori giggled softly, "Seireitou-kun, you're not still blaming yourself, are you?" she asked. Seireitou raised his head only slightly, "Shiori..." he spoke softly. "Seireitou-kun, I know you would never kill me. Or hurt me, for that matter. Datara did a cruel thing, forcing a moment like that... but my heart never let go of even a single shred of love for you. So much so, that my soul had found way into your Zanpakutō, and hid out within your Tenenko. I never wanted to part from you... ever." she confessed truthfully, smiling softly as she pulled him close, gently kissing his lips. For a while, the two that were seperated by the cruel truths of war, had shared their final kiss for a considerable length of time. They let go, but remained close, as Seireitou smiled, gently stroking her cheek. "You're... as soft and beautiful as ever... Shiori-chan..." he smiled softly. After sharing their moment together, the elder man addressed as God had soon returned. "Seireitou, I must go. But, Shiori's soul remains here now, so she will be here. I wish you a fruitful life. And remember... whenever you need advice, merely come here. To the Tenenko." he smiled, as he burst into his former white orb appearance, diminishing from view. Shiori turned to face Seireitou, "He's correct. I'll always be here, whenever you need me. I'll always be here for you." she smiled, kissing his lips once as she pulled away, reflecting a pink aura as she too disappeared for the time being. Sanagi then took a few steps forward, "King, are you finally ready to surpass the chrysalis stage?" he asked. Seireitou nodded, the firmness of resolve and determination clear by his facial expression. At that instant, both Sanagi and Hanullim began to glow with their respective spiritual signatures; Sanagi's being lavender, and Hanullim's being white and black wisps. With that, Seireitou began to take on his former crystalized stage from before, as he began to scream loud roars, being heard all around his inner Tenenko. "Seireitou, I'll be here. Always." came to Seireitou's mind, Shiori's last words, as well as the kiss they shared. With a tensing of the eyes, his crystal skin began to shed slowly, creating a massive explosion of spiritual force, pushing back both Hanillim and Sanagi in complete shock... Awakening... Returning to the outside world, the massive explosion had carried over from the Tenenko. Both parties took a shocked watch over to Seireitou, none more than Xerxes. Seireitou had taken on a new appearance, much different than his former chrysalis stage. He now wears a gray shihakushō, along with a black hakama, held together by a firm rope belt. A black mantle with burnt edges is draped over his shoulders, that stays connected together by what appears to be a tomoe necklace. His hair has changed colors, transforming from its natural silver to lavender with a purple tint. It also becomes much longer than before, especially his side bangs. Probably the most strange change to Seireitou revolves around his newly grown kitsune ears and long kitsune tail, both being lavender in color. This strange new form appeared to be under control, as Seireitou remained silent. He stared over to Xerxes, ignoring the shocked faces of his fellow allies around. Renge smirked, somewhat relieved. "Always with the explosive entrances." he joked to himself. Koga was the most shocked of Seireitou's allies. His own "transformation" was progressing rather quickly, his eyes being consumed by the black with his iris a hollowfied-yellow color. "Sei...san..?" he asked, as if in shock. Kento looked down and finally noticed Koga's odd transformation, "No...it's gonna be like that time again.." he thought in his mind, retaining his fierce look. Tenyo, like Renge, was more focused on Seireitou's new form, "It's astounding. My power as a Quincy allows me to absorb reishi particles for fighting. With his present energy levels I can take the reishi he is releasing to form fatal arrow attacks and he wouldn't even notice the loss." the Quincy commented softly. Seireitou, in his frightening and amazing new form, clentched his fist, looking all around him. He sighed softly, "Good... I have done it... I'm in control." he was assured, as small wisps of lavender began to emit from Seireitou, as his hair faded back to its normal silverness, and his uniform had disinigrated into reishi particles, returning Seireitou back into his base state. He gripped his blade in his right hand, and looked up, smiling widely at his allies. "Pathetic...pathetic...I'm absolutely pathetic!" Koga screamed inside his head, "Everytime I try to protect someone, everytime I start to shine, he pases me up again! I can't even begin to rival him like this! His spiritual pressure would crush me like an ant!" "You're pathetic, indeed, Koga." came a dual voice from within himself. Suddenly he was sucked into his Inner world, surrounded by trees and grass. Across from him stood a man that looked exactly like him, only he had black hair and was pale skinned. "What's your problem? You resent your friend for always outdoing you, don't you?" the odd man asked. "No...I just am having a stressful moment. It's not Seireitou's fault that he's better. He works hard for it...I'm just a slacker." Koga said, down to himself. This made the white-skinned man roar with laughter, "Works hard for it?! Please kid! He's a Kawahiru! Power runs in his blood! He's had it handed to him ever since the day he came out of the womb and he can't stand himself when he's without it!" 'Dark' Koga screamed. "You want power, don't you? I know you do. I'm the dark side of your heart. The being that reflects all that you hate. Give into me, and you'll have your power! Now then...who do you want to kill?" In the outside world, Koga's hair had turned grey and a white substance had burst from his zanpakutō strap's clip and had began spreading all over his body. Dark Koga began to speak through Koga's mouth in his dual voice, "Well now, this is much better. It's less cramped out here!" he said, looking back at Seireitou and then again at the Arrancar hovering above them. Tenyo looked on in shock, "This reiatsu is so violent and thick. It feels nothing like Koga! In fact, it feels even bigger than-''" but his thoughts were cut off by Kento beginning to speak, "So you finally surface. The one who really brought upon my wife's death all those years ago." This visibly disturbed Tenyo, and made the possessed Koga grin, "You still worrying about that? Yeah that was me. But I had a little help just today from your friend, Sora. He gave me form, power, and purpose. Your wife and his mother was the first, but not the last of my kills." Dark Koga said, "I'll start with that Arrancar over there and work my way up the food chain." Seireitou, finally back to recent events, took a gander over to the ''Dark Koga. He chuckled, "Well well, I wasn't aware Hichigo was still around." he mocked, narrowing his eyes in comic relief. He peered over to the others, "Guys, you take care of the old dude. I'll deal with the Hichigo Twin o'er here." he added. Kento nodded, "You all heard him. Let's deal with this Arrancar pansy." The white substance was now covering most of Koga's torso. Dark Koga turned to face Seireitou, "And here I was hoping to kill you last. Don't underestimate me, Kawahiru. If you want to free this child, prepare for the fight of your life." Seijin Thrashing: Seireitou Kawahiru vs Koga Tensei & Dark Koga Seireitou smirked, "Bring it, you shoddy Arrancar wannabe." he challenged, squatting his legs down as he grinned. Dark Koga smirked itself as the transformation completed itself. He now appears as a phantom-like figure. His face is covered with a mask also covers most of his head, neck and throat with the exception of small hole in the back for his now long, crimson hair. It has a plain smooth white surface with the only feature being a bilateral line down the middle, separating the mask into two portions. Koga's outfit has also changes: he has lost his apprentice outfit and his haori and gains a chest plate and a pair of small slim shoulder guards with designs similar to the mask. He also now wears clothing similar to the Arrancar, with a long-sleeve white coat, white hakama, long white gloves with silver bands all along the gloves. Tenyo, who had turned back to fighting Xerxes, whirled around when he felt this. "T-the heck...?! That spiritual energy is outrageous! It feels exactly like the Hōgyoku's power. What is going on?" he wondered. A Cero formed and fired exceedingly quick, aimed for Seireitou's feet. Quickly drawing a face of shock, Seireitou jumped up, watching as the ground below him exploded into chunks of rock and debris. He smirked, "Fine then. Before you come intoxicated with your own power, I shall show you a decisive power gap that you could never hope to overcome." he said as he raised his blade up, his body emitting a dense, yet thin aura of white reiatsu. Upon calling out the common phrase, Bankai, Seireitou's body seemingly turns into white flames that combust, exploding outwards in an enormous explosion of white and black reiryoku whips, that finally fall to the ground as a thick dense rain of reiatsu all over the surrounding area. In this form, Seireitou takes on physical properties of all three states of Hanullim's inner spirit. His hair becomes more longer and flowing, with a dark red eyeshadow around the topmost edges of his eyes, as well as similar facelines as Ulquiorra Schiffer. The hakama he normally wears remains, as his shihakushō takes on a more similar appearance to Hanullim's inner spirit. Seireitou's body is draped in lavender veils, similar to that of Hanullim's Kaguya manifestation. It appears that Seireitou can will a mirror similar to Kaguya's to appear on his stomach, for an as-of-yet unstated reason. Finally, his eyes take the most dramatic change, as they appear to become a strange mystical white, with a shadowy black outline; extremely similar to the overall color scheme of Hanullim's Kagemmi manifestation's appearance. The physical form of Seireitou's Zanpakutō remains very similar to his sealed state, becoming more of a japanese longblade daitō. Seireitou looked over to Koga, "Be grateful. Not many are allowed to see my Bankai. Certainly not shoddy Arrancar wannabes." he declared. "I wonder about that." Dark Koga responded from beneath the mask on his face. "It seems you really do think you're dealing with an Inner Hollow. How quickly you will learn that your power and mine are indeed leagues apart, but not in the way you're thinking." He held his blade out horizontally, looking at its reflection. "Inner Being, do not underestimate a Seijin." he solemnly retorted, as he appeared beside Koga. "My power, Hanullim's power, is interaction. The white flames that corrode, the inner world which opponents are plunged into, and the interaction of change forcing itself upon those in their natural state. In Bankai, this interaction power broadens as all states of interaction of the mental, physical and spiritual are within my manipulation." he explained, narrowing his eyes. "Think you can defeat someone who can control interactions?" "My, my. I must say that I am impressed. However, I've known about you for quite some time. Do you know what this boy feels about you? He views you as an older brother, and obstacle he cannot pass on his own, and his greatest rival. He's seen your powers, but there is one that knows your powers intimately. The Hōgyoku, which gave me life. You may control interactions, but the power of the Hōgyoku is outside the mental, physical, and spiritual. It's power is far beyond that which has ever been seen in Soul Society. You may think you know this, having once been bonded with it, but there is one thing you didn't know about it's power and that your dear friend Sora had begun to suspect; If the Hōgyoku's power is Desire Materialization, then what happens when you give life to that beings desire? Actual life? I think he's back at Las Noches learning what some of the effects are now. The Hōgyoku was drained of it's powers. They reside in me. Once the boy learns to control me...well that I'll leave for you to find out." he grinned. Seireitou lowered his head, "Perhaps. But you overlook one key detail. Once he learns to control you... is the future. Right now... I'm the one who has the greater power." he declared, slashing his blade down, sending a massive torrent of white flames, each carrying the key corrosive abilities identified by the green static discharge circling them. Before the flames struck, the Dark Side let out a small chuckle, "No mister Kawahiru, it is you who overlooked something. True when he controls me, it's unknown how powerful he'll become. But I, being me, already have control!" he roared releasing an energy that felt tremendous to all around, completely unlike reiryoku. After the burst of energy, it was revealed that he was now back to back with Seireitou, "I think you're worried that this fight will be as boring as any other you've fought. With countless people who don't stand a chance against you. I warn you about that thought process. You are sadly mistaken if that is how you think." The Counterattack...! Seireitou smirked, "Not quite. It is you who is sadly mistaken, my little friend." he spoke, as a large green diagram circle appeared beneath the two who were back-to-back. "I anticipated you would overestimate your own abilities, and get close. The very moment you came close, was the moment you declared your own defeat!" he challenged, narrowing his eyes as the possessed Koga became encased in a dense layer of adamant, starting from his feet. "San no Sekai... YiSeung." he muttered, as he flashed away, Koga's body becoming encased in an immense casing of adamant, layers upon layers being added as they finally finished, sealing Koga inside. The adamant immediately began to crack. Bursts of blue energy flew from the inside of the cracks and soon the entire casing was obliterated. Dark Koga turned back and smirked wildly, "Spare me, prince." he mocked, laughing to himself. "Go ahead an use it. Use Kakuyōyū, then you can see the true difference in our strength." Seireitou narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Do not tell me how to use my own techniques, kid." he retorted, as his blade was held upwards, eight massive pillars of white flames had surrounded them. "I shall show you, not to underestimate me." Dark Koga sighed, "Fine then, Kawahiru. I will stop underestimating you and show you what you're really up against." He then thrust out both of his arms on either side of him and opened his palms. "Kyūkaīn no Shikyo.." he declared. Suddenly, nine rings appeared in the sky, eight of which circled the pillars of white flames and began to seal away each pillar until no more flames existed, at which time, the rings ceased to exist. "Before we continue," the Inner Being told Seireitou, "Let's go above to the surface. You don't want your friends getting caught in our battle, do you?" he said, pointing behind him to the group of people who were less concentrated on their fight with Xerxes and more on dodging the repeated attacks from Seireitou and Dark Koga's battle. "I would hardly call this a battle." Seireitou admitted, as he raised his blade upwards. "I'd rather not prolong this battle. If you have any real talent, show me now... Otherwise, I will have to get serious." he declared. "Foolish Seireitou. You, like the rest of your family, are too overconfident." he muttered. He then expressed shock as he looked at his sheathed zanpakutō which then burst into billions of tiny particles and reformed in his hand, with the sheathe itself now on his side. "So, it's almost done is it? Well that means my time is short. I think you would admit that taking you on without drawing my sword while you are in Bankai would count as talent. Still, to let your friends sit here under the threat of getting caught in the middle of this just to show your supposed power over me, how Kawahiru-like. Isn't that how that girl got killed? Because you were too busy flaunting your strength instead of focusing on the here and now." Dark Koga taunted. Seireitou narrowed his eyes, remembering his discussion with Shiori as he closed his eyes, feeling the woman he loves's soul within him. He smirked, "Liar Liar." he mocked. "Trying to provoke me?" he grinned with an snake-like smile. "I don't feel a need to leave this scene, because..." he started, as the scene would shift to each of Koga's group members, Renge, Ken'ichi, and Tōkaru. "...because there is no-one among those in the Seijin Council who are unable to defend themselves. My staying here is not a sign of arrogance, but one of respect. I trust them to defend themselves, and its time for you to go, you wannabe." he mocked finally, as his Bankai had soon disappeared from his body. "I allowed you to see my Bankai, out of respect for Koga. I had no intention of fighting seriously with that form." he justified. The form Koga's body had taken began to crack, "Respect? I see. I may have been wrong about you. You seem different than the Kawahiru in some ways. Despite your arrogance, you still have a heart." Dark Koga observed, forming a soft smile and then back to his coldness, "Maybe my anger should be directed at that Sanagi creature within you, I don't know. From now on, I'm relinquishing control to the kid. However, this will not be our last meeting." the dark side finished speaking, and the transformation's mask shattered, leaving the white robed out fit still on. Koga's face had come back into sight, his hair returned to normal length, but his eyes still seemed Hollowfied; perhaps that would be permanent. Koga looked around; first at the fight behind him and then at Seireitou, "I must've been out for awhile, but something is strange. I can't feel my Shinigami reiatsu anymore...or my human energy." was his first thoughts. "Sorry for the delay, Sei." he apologized. "We can return to the fight now." "I don't think so." declared a voice, followed by an immense burst of reiatsu, completely overwhelming the entire area. Xerxes had defeated Ken'ichi, put both Tenyo and Kento on the defensive, and even caused Tōkaru to break a sweat. "Level 6" he had declared, as he admitted enough spiritual power to frighten most Captains. Xerxes on the Move: Fighting for their Lives Koga looked up with his hollow-colored eyes at the Arrancar, "What is this? Before going out-cold, spiritual energy like this would've caused me to go completely on the defensive, but now it's almost nothing to me." Koga thought, narrowing his eyes. Tenyo landed beside Koga and Seireitou, panting from exhaustion, "This guy is weaker than the last one and yet he still has enough energy to beat me down and beat Dad's sealed form." he explained to them, "I don't know what to do." Comically, Seireitou drew a humorous face, "Perhaps daddy should use more than a sealed state then." he mocked. Regaining seriousness, Seireitou took a step forward. "I have a plan to defeat this guy, but its gonna be risky... real risky." he declared. problem over resources, deficiency of balance, forced migration, ,food crisislocust hits and climatic modify fulfil to make an environment affecting huge figures. This present issues has hit locations difficult because they are already vulnerable and have few working techniques. Kento looked back, annoyed, "Zangetsu doesn't like Arrancar. I'm only trying to adhere to my zanpakutō's needs." he retorted comically. Koga snapped out of his thoughts, "I'll follow your lead Sei." he replied. Xerxes, however, summoned a Garganta as they were conversating. "I'm sorry, my friends. I have business to attend to elsewhere. I will hopefully see you all again in the world of the living." he declared, as he stepped inside, disappearing. "Great...he went to the world of the living and we have no Garganta user." Renge spat. "Miserable Arrancar!" Koga looked at Seireitou and thought for a moment, "Shiori. Even now I can see his pain. It still festers, though it has reduced somewhat. The Arrancar, Sora, even my darker half throws around her name and causes him more pain. I can't bear it. Maybe with these new powers I can better help him get over that pain..Maybe I can give him the victory he's been looking to achieve since her death." he pondered before outstretching his hand in the direction Xerxes had left. "I think I can now help us." he said, opening a much larger Garganta. "Let's go after him, before he starts tearing up my home." The Seijin and Tensei kin had all entered one after another, prepared for a new battle. To Be Continued... :Next Time: Conquest of Flowers Category:Roleplay